OLYMPIA, Wash. – Una iniciativa presentada en la Legislatura de Washington repondría grandes reembolsos a los residentes de bajos ingresos en el estado. El llamado Crédito Fiscal a las Familias Trabajadoras (“Working Families Tax Credit”) está diseñado para corregir el sistema más regresivo de impuestos en todo el país.

Los legisladores del estado de Washington revisan una propuesta de crédito fiscal que se haría cargo del desequilibrio que tiene el código fiscal del estado.

El Instituto de Fiscalización y Política Económica (“Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy”) recientemente calificó al sistema fiscal del “Evergreen State”, el Estado Siempre Verde, como el más retrógrado del país, en el que los trabajadores de ingresos mínimos pagan 18 por ciento de su salario y quienes más ganan contribuyen con únicamente un 3 por ciento.

Kelli Smith, analista senior de políticas en el Centro Estatal de Presupuesto y Políticas de Washington (“Washington State Budget and Policy Center”), dice que la propuesta de Crédito Fiscal de Familias Trabajadoras (“Working Families Tax Credit”) sería una de las herramientas más efectivas para combatir la pobreza.

“Esta política, como la propusimos, alcanzaría a casi un millón de hogares de el estado de Washington y daría al ingreso de la gente un impulso, y sabemos que eso redituará dividendos más adelante.”

El crédito fiscal daría un reembolso promedio de 350 dólares en el impuesto estatal sobre ventas. Está diseñado con base en el Crédito Fiscal por Ingresos del Trabajo (“Earned Income Tax Credit”).

Smith destaca que esta propuesta llega incluso más lejos. También amplía la definición de trabajadores que califican hasta personas sin hijos, cuidadores familiares e inmigrantes. El Comité Senatorial sobre Rutas y Medios celebra hoy jueves una reunión pública sobre la ley.

El Senador Demócrata Joe Nguyen, Demócrata por White Center, Washington, apoya la versión senatorial de la ley. Dice que daría un impulso a las comunidades de color de Washington, las cuales están en un sitio desproporcionadamente bajo de la escala de ingresos.

Agrega que el reembolso pudiera no parecer mucho dinero, pero ayudaría a muchos washingtonianos a llegar al fin de mes.

“La razón por la que esto es tan importante es que estamos hablando de gente que pudiera usarlo y quedarse en casa, o que pudieran usarlo para comprar comida. Gente que podría usar estos recursos y potencialmente pagar por el cuidado de sus hijas e hijos, y también conseguir otro empleo.”

Nguyen señala que una medida similar fue aprobada en 2008, pero nunca recibió fondos. Él confía en que la Legislatura puede encontrar la manera de fondear este intento, por ejemplo un impuesto por aumento del capital y la ocupación.

Dice que la meta de esta iniciativa es corregir un error en el código fiscal del estado.

“Eres castigado básicamente por ser pobre. Así que lo que realmente quiero es subir el nivel del terreno de juego y que haya oportunidad para que todos podamos prosperar y vivir con dignidad. Y creo que éste es un gran paso hacia allá.”

La medida ha ganado el apoyo de grupos como “Moms Rising”, SEIU 775 y la Coalición del Estado de Washington contra la Violencia Doméstica (“Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence”).


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Today, groups working with lower-income families in Connecticut are raising awareness about the state's "benefits cliff" with a day of action.

The benefits cliff is when a person might get a raise, have a kid with a part-time job, or some other income increase which then makes them ineligible for certain benefits. The changes can have severe impacts on communities and disproportionately affect families with children.

Stephen Monroe Tomczak, professor of social work at Southern Connecticut State University, said it is part of a larger workforce problem.

"People, particularly people of low income, are in a sense disincentivized to participate in the labor force and denied adequate jobs and income when they try to do that," Tomczak explained.

Several General Assembly budget bills could have dealt with the issue but most failed, which inspired today's action, a mock funeral procession to the governor's office to eulogize the bills, including the refundable Child Tax Credit, a housing voucher funding boost bill, and a bill eliminating the asset limit on the HUSKY C medical insurance program.

Social service advocates know the bills will resurface in next year's budget process.

Rose Ferraro, program lead of health justice policy advocacy for the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, said people are taking alternate steps like going to food banks or avoiding medical care to cover lost benefits.

"Folks will lose their rental assistance and then, they will sort of have to make some tough decisions," Ferraro noted. "'Do I put food on my table or do I make sure to pay rent?' And, so it becomes a sort of untenable position."

Ferraro added interwoven state and federal funding makes it hard to reach the core of the issues leading to benefits cliffs. One eulogized bill would have established a benefits cliff pilot program. For two years, it would have provided subsistence for people who've reached the benefits cliff.

New York towns are reaping many benefits since the Inflation Reduction Act was passed.

Along with funds for larger clean energy projects, the state was awarded $158 million for the IRA's Home Energy Rebates program.

Smaller towns and villages use these grants to implement their climate action plans.

Brighton Town Councilmember Robin Wilt said an IRA grant they applied for will help upgrade the town's HVAC system.

"We will be implementing geothermal and then use a solar array to make the system close to net zero, not quite," said Wilt. "I think we'll get 55% of our energy back with the solar panels."

The bureaucratic process to access the funding was challenging, but some groups are working with the Department of Energy to improve it.

Wilt said feedback on the clean energy projects has been positive. Future projects using IRA funding include increasing walkability and sustainable redevelopment.

Critics have said the IRA includes multiple provisions to increase fossil fuel production.

Towns nationwide are using IRA grants to bolster clean energy projects.

Joel Hicks is a council member for the Borough of Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

They've just applied for a grant to work on energy efficiency and solar projects with Harrisburg. He said this will have positive impacts beyond establishing clean energy.

"We were really excited at this potential," said Hicks, "because we saw that the cost savings we would have for putting in substantial solar projects on our public property would actually fund many of our other public municipal goals."

These include purchasing an electric vehicle fleet and having more efficient solid waste programs.

One thing Hicks said he wants to see in future is state and local governments helping small towns and municipalities with putting together their IRA grant proposals.

A new report analyzes Pennsylvania's existing voucher programs, that divert public funds to private schools.

This comes on the heels of Gov. Josh Shapiro's plan to create a new voucher program for K-12 students.

Diana Polson - senior policy analyst with the Keystone Research Center - said last year's Commonwealth Court decision ruled that Pennsylvania's system of funding public education is unconstitutional, therefore the state doesn't have a dollar to waste on expanding existing private-school voucher programs or creating a new one.

"The basic-education funding commission estimated the state must pay $5.1 billion over the next seven years to make sure our public schools are funded equitably and adequately," said Polson. "Meanwhile, our report finds that existing private-school voucher programs are siphoning millions from taxpayers with little to show for it."

Supporters argue that vouchers let children leave under-performing public schools and get a better education at private schools.

Polson said Pennsylvania's voucher programs have no "meaningful educational or financial accountability," so they really have no way of knowing if these programs operate as intended or are beneficial to low-income or moderate-income students.

Polson said the report reveals that the programs have grown, and just this year they will cost the state nearly $500 million.

However, these voucher programs exclude students in rural areas, because there are few if any participating private schools in these regions.

Local public schools remain the primary option for most rural families.

"We also found that private schools receiving these funds are allowed to - and do - routinely discriminate against students for reasons including disabilities, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and more," said Polson. "These programs are also exclusive. They subsidize the state's most elite and expensive private schools as well as affluent families."

Polson said the report reveals that the Independent Fiscal Office estimated that the average EITC program scholarship was $2,314, while the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit was slightly less at around $2,000.

The cost of attending one of the top 25 private schools in Pennsylvania is around $41,000 per year. This means these schools are still out of reach for many low- and moderate-income families.